The author's long-term experience in pediatric and rehabilitation practice has shown that cases of diastasis of direct abdominal muscles in linea alba are not isolated. The defect occurs most often in cases of vitaminDdeficiency in childhood as well as in adult age, as a manifestation of rachitic or poromalacic myopathy with weakened muscular and ligamentary tissues. In most of 297 patients in our dispensary who were affected by diastasis during four years (2000 - 2003), there were simultaneously signs of rachitis of thorax, spine or on lower extremities, indicating vitamin D deficiency during childhood. The weakened anterior wall of the belly resulting from diastasis becomes the cause of muscular dysbalance in the beginning and subsequently into lumbar vertebropathy (vertebral affection), especially due to other aggravating factors, e.g., acrobatism, heavy physical work or pregnancy. The treatment of diastasis in early childhood, specialized therapy by vitamin D and therapeutic exercise could contribute not only to prevention of abdominal protrusion, but also decreased incidence of invalidating vertebropathies in adult age.

        Key words: diastatis of direct abdominal muscles, rachitic etiopathogenesis, prevention in childhood, supplementation with vitamin D